Reality: Pitch Black
by Jenny the Wicked
Summary: *Complete* Adel Shau wakes to find herself on a ship crashing on a desert planet. Unfortunately, she is unaware as to how she got there and knows that technology is far more advanced than anything she's ever seen. Edited for content. PB-AU.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Of course, I do not own Riddick or any of the characters from Pitch Black. I do however, own Adel Shau.

**If you enjoy reading this, please leave feedback. **

Chapter One

She awoke to a violent jostling.

Everything around her was unfamiliar. Adel Shau looked around wildly, noting the washed out, industrial look that was her surroundings. She seemed to be on some sort of vehicle. Perhaps a military plane, she considered thoughtlessly. Alarms blared, echoing loudly in rhythm with her pulsating headache. The vehicle shuddered again convulsively as she noted she was lying on the floor in a cargo hold of sorts. Along the walls in front as well as behind her, were tall, oblong tubes in which people stood, apparently asleep. The term 'Cryo lockers' echoed somewhere distantly in her mind as she stood shakily. She briefly wondered where she was considering nothing like cryo lockers existed at home. She ignored the thought as the turbulent ride became unbearable, pulling her deftly from her musings. Adel wrapped her arms around a support beam before she was thrown from her feet. The entire vehicle slammed into something solid. Her body flew up as she gripped the beam before coming back down to slam into the metal girders to which she clung desperately.

She had no time to acknowledge the pain as an unnerving sound tore across the cargo hold, almost deafening as metal lurched and groaned before the side of the vehicle was completely torn off. She noted at least forty of the lockers were ripped from their places. The force was incredible. Her stomach rolled and fluttered as dust and debris surged through the hold. Wind roared as the gaping hole attempted to devour everything within its reach. Bright, piercing light penetrated the room. She clung to the support beam for her life, dimly aware that someone was shouting near her, though nothing was distinct. Her head was pounding along with the screeching metal as her grip began to slip on the beam. The world spun as she slipped, falling to the floor. The shaking halted as a she felt the vehicle slide to an ungraceful stop.

A thick, yellow cloud of dust covered the compartment.

Adel lay still, watching as the ceiling spun wildly as her stomach lurched once again. She heard noises, voices of people calling out, some groaning in pain and the occasional hiss of an airlock. She closed her eyes, willing herself to move, trying to quell the pain that seemed to take up residence in every cell of her body. Lifting her head she saw silhouetted people moving slowly. Someone called a name in Arabic. She shook her head, disoriented before attempting to rise. Failing, she fell back to her elbows, hitting the floor roughly.

The dust was dissipating, though not as quickly as she would have liked as she inhaled a breath of dusty air. She took in the scene. No one else seemed to think the lockers were unusual, noting that some had begun to check on the people who remained inside. They knew how to activate them, as that now familiar air lock hiss signaled that a new one had been opened. She watched the briefest glimpse of fear cross the face of a blonde man standing in front of her. A thin trail of blood ran from his ear as he started towards the back of the hold. She followed his gaze. Another locker, although this was undeniably different, with a script informing the reader that the person it had been housing was a high security prisoner. The blonde man reached to his waist, grabbing blindly at a holster that she assumed once held a gun. Nothing there now.

A loud rushing sound and a flash of light filled the room, drawing her attention from the blonde man to a dark haired couple standing over a fallen cryo locker. The woman had a cutting torch in hand and seemed to be cutting the front panel off the locker. She cut all the way through after a few moments, revealing a young boy. He seemed unscathed as he looked up at the faces above.

"Somethin' went wrong, huh?" The couple reached in to pull the boy out.

Movement caught her eye. The blonde man, eyes on the ground, making his way towards the back where cargo was stored, was searching, probably for his gun. She turned back to face a tall man in Islamic robes standing over her. He knelt beside her, searching her face before he spoke.

"Are you alright?" His voice was calm, despite the chaos surrounding them. She nodded dumbly, before wincing at the pain that radiated through her head.

"Yes," her voice came out strangely dry and cracked as she spoke. "I think I'm alright." He gripped her forearm, helping her sit up.

He nodded towards her hands as she pulled herself info a sitting position. Her muscles screamed in protest as pain flooded her. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to recognize his words. She lifted a hand, gazing at the angry, raw abrasions from the beam that she had clung to. He stood, pulling her unsteadily to her feet. She wobbled a bit as her head swam. She could feel her hair matting to her face with sweat and dust. There were more calls in Muslim. The man next to her noticed, making sure she was steady before heading off to heed the call.

A scream cut through the air.

"Out! Out! Get it outta me!" A man's voice, raw with agony, pleaded hoarsely.

She found herself moving along with the others, albeit unsteadily towards the plea. They found themselves in the flight deck, the blonde man standing above a blonde woman. She was kneeling next to a man, strapped in a chair, with a metal rod protruding from his chest. The small group of people that had accompanied her began talking at once.

"Pull it out of him!"

"No, it's too close to his heart…"

"You gotta do it, just do it fast…"

The woman placed her hands on the metal rod. The man in the chair screamed again.

"Don't you touch that switch, Fry! Don't you touch it!" Spittle and blood flew from the man's lips as he choked out the words. Voices from the other passengers rose again.

"Doncha got some drugs for that poor man…" The woman, Fry, sat for a moment before speaking.

"Alright, alright, someone... there's some Anestaphine in the med-lock, that end of the cabin, next to..."

"Not anymore," the blonde man murmured. The man in the chair screamed again. The dark haired woman choked back a quiet sob. The boy, standing next to her, was pale, his face blanched.

"Get out. Everybody." Fry spoke quietly, her hand running slowly, soothingly along the dying man's brow. Adel stood, rooted, her eyes fixated on the writhing man. She noticed the boy remained, he too entranced with morbid fascination. The blonde man, doubled back, placing his hand on the boy's neck and steered him towards the bright daylight outside the ship. He glanced in her direction as he moved, nodding his head to follow. She moved, glancing away from the unfortunate. Her eyes rested upon a man, clad in black. His hands were cuffed above his head to a bulkhead; the muscles in his arms bulging, strained from holding the unusual position. He wore a pair of black goggles, covering his eyes, though she had the distinct feeling he was watching as she followed the blonde man and the boy out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Outside, the small group was muttering introductions. Adel had followed the blonde man, known as Johns, out as the boy, Jack ran to the dark haired couple; Shazza and Zeke. They seemed to be looking after the boy. Adel glanced back, wondering about the dying man when she caught a glimpse of the vehicle. It was mammoth! Not a plane. If she wasn't as crazy as she feared, it seemed to be a space ship! Her mind reeled. Just where the hell was she? How the hell had she woken up on a space ship? She stumbled, absolutely floored at the reality she found herself in, her feet catching each other. She found herself, once again on the ground, this time covered in sand. She grimaced in pain as her palms caught the impact of the blow. Once again, Adel found herself being helped to her feet by the tall man in robes. A preacher.

"My name is Imam." He told her as waited for her to steady herself. "And you are…"

"Adel." She murmured. She dusted herself off, feeling heavier from the oppressive heat. The sun was bright; a white, almost blinding light that caused her eyes to water. She turned, giving her eyes a moment of reprieve before they rested upon a second, red sun! Her world spun again. Shazza noticed her mouth agape and followed her stare.

"Two suns?" She vocalized Adel's thoughts, although it seemed not for the same reason. Adel knew of only one sun, on one planet. She thought back, trying to remember how she came upon a space shop. All she could remember before the crash was watching the television in her small apartment in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Space travel was limited to the moon as far as she was aware. What the hell had happened?

Imam was speaking with three teenage boys, also clad in robes. They fell to their knees in prayer. A gunshot was heard from the ship as the screaming stopped.

Adel watched as the woman, Fry, made her way out the back of the ship, joining their small group on top. The preacher and his wards were still kneeling in the sand in prayer.

"There's been talk of a scouting part," started Johns. "Until we saw this." Glancing off into the distance, a huge smoldering path was scarred into the ground behind the ship. They stared at the wreckage quietly until Zeke spoke.

"So what the bloody hell happened, anyways?"

"Something must have knocked us off course. Maybe a rogue comet…" Fry still stared at the path of destruction. Pain welled in her eyes. Adel's head swirled with knowledge that the ship really had been in space.

_Ok. Breathe. _

_You are obviously not at home anymore. _

_Calm down. Let's be logical. Look at the facts. _

_Well, we are definitely not on Earth. _

_I doubt it's 2014. _

_Space travel is the norm. _

_Apparently, so is cryo sleep. _

_A man just died. _

_We are stuck on a planet with TWO suns. _

_With a criminal. _

Even in her mind she was starting to sound a bit hysterical.

_Calm down. _

_Breathe. _

_You can get through this and figure it out. _

_This too shall pass, Little Bird. _ Her grandmother's voice echoed through her head. This too shall pass. That's what she always said when Adel was going through a tough spot.

_Well, Nanny, this is pretty tough. Here's hoping. _

"Well, I for one am thoroughly grateful. This beast wasn't made to land like this but you pulled it off." Shazza's voice broke through her thoughts once again, this time directed at Fry. A brief glimpse of emotion played across Fry's face before she quickly recovered.

The small group found their way back to the main cabin, locating oxygen breathers to help combat the heavy atmosphere and lack of oxygen. Adel, sitting away from the others, watched, mimicking their movements to put on her own breather. She looked up, hearing Fry and Johns murmuring together.

"What about him?" Fry asked, nodding her head towards the prisoner who was still chained to the bulkhead.

"Riddick?" Johns smirked.

"What we just keep him locked up forever?" Fry muttered, a bit quieter.

"That'd be my choice. Already escaped from one max-slam facility on.." Johns was cut off as Fry looked at the chained man in black.

"I don't need his story. Is he really that dangerous?"

Johns smiled.

"Only around humans."

Adel turned back to fiddling with her breather but her mind was on the man they were discussing.

_So he's that bad, huh?_

She let her gaze travel over him. Large. Muscular. Intelligent expression. Horse bit.

_Horse bit?_

_Well, that's a bit much, isn't it?_

_You have no idea what this man is capable of… why question it?_

_Because it's inhumane. _

The inner conversation halted when Johns and Fry started discussing water. Paris, a waif of a man who had introduced himself as an entrepreneur, informed them that he had drinks in the cargo hold. They followed the willowy man to the cargo hold and out of sight. Adel remained seated, not really having a purpose. She then realized that she was alone with the criminal. He hadn't made a sound but cocked his head to the side. He inhaled through his nose, smelling the air as he turned his head in her direction. She knew he could see her, despite being partially obstructed by the crate she was leaning against. His lip twitched into a half smile.

Riddick stood and began rotating his arms up, to the top of the bulkhead. A sickening pop resounded as Adel watched wide-eyed. His shoulders had both dislocated and continued pushing his arms up to where she noticed a crack in the bulkhead. Deftly, he slipped the chains binding his wrists through the crack and brought his arms down in front of him with two more loud pops before falling. As he fell, she noticed his hands wrap around a cutting torch.

She was definitely unnerved. Not knowing what to do, she nodded just slightly to him and moved back outside to join the others.

_What the hell was that?_

_No idea. It must be the heat. _

_Or that I'm on an alien fucking planet._

_Whatever. _

_Well are you going to tell him?_

_Tell who what?_

_The cop or whatever that his prisoner just got loose. _

_I should… _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Adel joined the small group outside waiting for the others. They had rejoined with Imam and his young wards. Time seemed to move slowly though only a few minutes had passed. Fry and Paris had joined them shortly thereafter, each carrying bottles of liquor and expensive wine. Adel eyed it as Fry handed her a bottle.

_It's just going to dehydrate you. _

_Yeah, but better than nothing._

_You know that's bullshit, right?_

Silencing her subconscious, Adel took a swig. The amber liquid burning a trail down her already parched throat to her stomach where it spread like a liquid fire.

_Damn, that felt good. _

She took another swig. Well, now her headache was going away.

From her periphery, Adel noticed Johns coming towards the group at a jog. In his hand was the horse bit that had been in Riddick's mouth. Adel's heart quickened its pace. Conversation stopped as everyone noticed Johns approach.

"He's escaped?" Jack asked, almost excitedly.

The grim set of Johns' mouth confirmed the group's fears.

They had inventoried their supplies and compiled anything that might be considered a weapon in defending themselves against the escaped murderer. Johns had positioned himself atop the fallen ship, scanning the horizon with a scope. Adel was still clutching the bottle of liquor that had been handed to her. Logically, she knew that she shouldn't be drinking the alcohol but damn if it wasn't helping cure this nagging terror and keeping her from the edge of hysterics. Between a murder and that small feat of being somewhere that wasn't physically possible, she thought she was doing an acceptable job of taking it in stride. Under Fry's advisory, she had torn the sleeves from her blue long-sleeve t-shirt. She had also torn her jeans, converting them into cut off shorts. Her long, heavy dark hair had been piled on top of her head and tied with a strip from her former sleeve. Shazza and Zeke had been working on modifying the breathers, in which they tested their new prototype on Jack. Imam and his boys had changed to their traditional Bedouin head-gear to help displace some of the oppressive heat.

"We should leave soon, before nightfall but while its cooler." Fry spoke as she watched the two suns slow decent towards the horizon before turning back to her charges. She, Adel, Johns, Imam and his boys, they had called themselves Crislams, were going to try and find water. Adel was busy messing with the straps on her breather when she heard one of the teenage boys yelling in Muslim. He gestured in the direction that they were headed, away from sunset. They rounded the ship and stopped to find a third blue star flaring above the horizon.

"Three suns?" Jack asked, warily.

"Bloody hell." Shazza was stunned to immobility for a moment.

"Fucking fantastic," Adel took another swig from the liquor bottle.

"So much for your nightfall." Zeke glanced to Fry.

"So much for my cocktail hour." An audible sigh was heard, this time from Paris.

Imam, ever the patient optimist spoke.

"We take this as a good sign. Blue sun, blue water."

Johns swung down from his perch atop the ship.

"That's actually a bad sign. That's Riddick's direction."

"I thought you found his restraints over there. Towards sunset." Fry looked a touch concerned.

"Which means he went towards sunset," Johns informed her with a nod.

The party trekked on, through the scorching desert, with only the sound of short, audible prayer sent up by the Crislams. In the distance, Fry noted strange trees. A hard wind swirled sand around them, as if leading the way to the trees. The younger boys took off in a run towards, what they believed was an oasis. Imam explained as much. Johns and Fry followed after them. Adel stared for a moment, studying the strange shape of the branches and noting that they didn't move with the wind.

_Very strange. _

She willed her feet to move, cursing fate for however she got here and the fact that she was wearing flip flops. No one else had seemed to notice which was fine for her.

_Yeah, good luck explaining that. _

_Do they even have flip flops here, wherever we are. _

_T3. Fry called it that. _

_This planet. Or whatever it is._

Adel crested the hill to join the others, realizing that they were staring at the scene below.

_Not trees. _

_Bones!_

It was a bone yard. Huge, colossal skeletons littered the ground, ribcages creating tunneled paths of dismay. Adel was stunned. What happened to these obviously huge creatures?

"Is this whole planet dead?" Fry whispered, awestruck. They begin to move, together, as a group. An unspoken, unacknowledged feeling of dread, washed over Adel. She felt like she was being watched; that there was something terribly wrong.

_Great. Move in a herd. Excellent idea, girly._

_Safety in numbers. _

_STOP! Stop being analytical. Just move._

They made their way from the top of the hill, down; the huge, towering tree-like bones had been bleached white in the harsh, unforgiving light.

"Some… communal graveyard, perhaps.. like the elephants of Earth…" Imam mused thoughtfully. Fry wandered ahead of the group, towards one of the ribcages. It was a macabre forest, though desolate and decayed. Adel inspected one of the rib bones they were walking beneath. It had cut marks on it, as if hacked away by steel.

_I don't think it was natural causes that killed these animals._

She lifted a hand to the sun-bleached bone, feeling the grooves beneath her fingertips. Her hands felt sensitive, blood pulsed beneath her palms under her injuries. She suppressed a shudder, drawing her hand away. She caught up to Fry, falling in step beside her. She tipped the bottle of liquor to her in an offering. The woman glanced at her, before stopping. She grabbed the bottle and leaned back, resting just slightly against another ribcage.

"Probably makes it worse. Dehydrates you more." She smiled at Adel.

"Probably right." Adel smiled back. Fry took a drink anyway before handing the bottle back. Adel took another swig. She joined Fry, leaning against the animal's remains, embracing the few moments of shade. She noticed Fry looking at her feet.

"What are those?"

_Huh? Oh, right. _

"Flip flops." Adel looked away, back into a shadowy recess of the animal's body. The hair on her arms stood up. She held her breath for a moment, swearing she had heard something. She turned back to Fry.

"I don't think I've seen anything like that before." Fry murmured. "Or that material..." She motioned to Adel's denim cutoffs.

_Shit._

_Well, how do I explain this?_

_She'll think I'm crazy. _

_Or a stowaway. _

_Fuck it. _

Adel sighed heavily.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Sure." Fry looked intrigued.

Somewhere within the cavern of the animal, Adel swore she could hear an intake of breath. She peered through the bones again. No movement.

"I'm not from here." She whispered. Fry smiled kindly.

"Well, none of us ar…" she was cut off as Adel continued to speak.

"No. I mean, I woke up when the ship crashed. Before that, I had been in my apartment. There's no such thing as Cryo-sleep or spaceships that go to different planets. Hell, or crashing on desolate planets for that matter!" She rushed the sentence, her throat tightening as she tried valiantly not to cry or even acknowledge the hopelessness that was threatening to overtake her. "Before today, I was a normal girl, in the year 2010…" Fry's eyes widened as she mentioned the year but Adel continued. "I had a boring job and a quiet life. I've never even been camping and now I'm stuck on some god-forsaken planet completely out of my element, hell completely out of my time with a bunch of people who are far more adept at this that I could have ever imagined." She finished her rant by taking a long drink from the bottle. It was nearly half gone now. She grimaced as the liquid raged through her. Fry was quiet for a movement, processing everything Adel had told her.

"Well, now. That's something new. "A new voice cut through the silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Johns approached the women. He moved with purpose

_Shit. _

_Shit again. _

He smiled before he spoke.

"You say you have no recollection of how you wound up on the ship, huh?" He chuckled. "Well, that's quite interesting. Ain't that right, Cap'n." He nodded to Fry. She still looked pensive. She looked up at Adel. And smiled.

"Wherever you're from, you're here now. And we have to get through this together. Come on. Let's go find the others." The three moved back into the sunlight. Unbeknownst to them, a shadowy figure crouched just behind the bleached bones by which they just stood. In right hand, a small shiv, chiseled from bone and in his right hand, a small lock of darkened hair. He brought it to his nose, inhaling the scent curiously.

As the trio walked, Johns spoke.

"What'd Owens mean? 'Bout not touching the switch?" He glanced innocently at Fry. Adel looked towards her too.

_The hell?_

Fry looked to Johns. Her eyes wide, thoughtful even before turning to Adel. They could see Imam and the teens a short distance ahead.

"Hey, you can tell me, Carolyn." Johns pressed. "Hell, Adel here just spilled a huge secret like time travel." He smirked in her direction. Suddenly, Adel wasn't liking Mr. Johns so much. His tone suggested she was lying.

_Or crazy. Don't forget crazy. _

_Oh, can it. _

She ignored his comment and looked to Fry, concerned at her suddenly nervous demeanor.

"Promise me. Swear neither of you will –"

"You see anyone here but us?" Johns cut her off with a gesture between Adel and himself. Fry sighed..

"During the landing… when things were at their worst… Owens was at his best. He's the one who stopped the docking pilot from dumping the passenger cabin." She hung her head, shuffling her feet slightly as she walked.

"And who was the docking pilot?" Johns asked quietly.

"Me." Fry's voice was barely a whisper.

_The fuck!_

Adel's mind raced. Fry had intended to kill them all.

_Well, wouldn't that have been lovely. Waking up on a ship God knows where, only to die because the fucking pilot thought it'd be a good idea to save her own skin._

She sent up a silent prayer of thanks to Owens, wherever he was, for stopping her.

"So now you know." Fry whispered.

_Calm down._

_Only she knows exactly what happened? You don't._

_Have you piloted a spaceship before?_

_Do you know all the intricacies involved?_

_Fry did what she had to and still managed to keep you alive._

_Leave the judgment to others, Little Bird. _

"Well," Adel started after a moment. "Given the circumstances, I think you did a fine job with the hand that was dealt."

Fry looked up at her.

_I really just sounded like a fortune cookie. _

_Blast. _

"Fuck. Guess I should be happy to be on this rock at all." Johns muttered and slowed his pace as they fell in step with Imam and the boys.

They continued through the bone yard, traversing a narrow canyon, feeling more and more squeamish as long bones rose up along either side of their path.

_Belly of the beast, eh?_

Adel ignored the jab from her conscious mind and continued on, the feeling of being watched pressing more on her mind. As they neared the end of the canyon, she noticed Johns drop to one knee, and dust something out of the sand. A watch. It was faded from sun and sand as Johns picked it up.

_So we aren't alone._

Relief spread through Adel like wildfire. Maybe they could contact someone to get them out off the planet.

_And then what?_

_You have no idea what's out there. _

_Where would you go?_

_Education. I've gone to school. I could probably find a job. _

_Hello! This is the future. You probably have as much education as an infant in comparison. _

_Shit. _

_Ok. _

_Focus on right now, Little Bird. _

As they crested the canyon wall, Adel was able to make out a few remote buildings in the distance.

"A settlement!" Fry exclaimed, excitement bubbled on the edge of her voice.

They entered the settlement.

"As-Salamu 'Alaykum!" One of the boys cried out a greeting. His voice echoed through the settlement. They walked, awaiting a response. The building seemed to be quickly assembled, made from metal sheets. As they moved, a sun shade flapped carelessly in the air.

"Hello!" Johns called out, loudly. Yet not response was heard. They continued moving through around the small buildings. They stopped as they faced a large tower like structure, which resembled a water tower.

"Water!" Imam and his wards crowed around the tap and found that it worked. "Allahu Akbar! God is great, yes?" Adel smiled and said nothing as the others drank. While she waited her turn, she eyed the settlement. It was quiet. It seemed to have been empty for years. After having sated her thirst, she moved away from the tower. Fry was walking slowly, cautiously, observing the small space. She nodded her head, indicating Adel should come with her. They moved in silence for a moment until Adel spoke.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

"For what?" They had stopped in front of a building. Fry stood back, pushing the door open to reveal a dark room. "Lights?" She spoke though there was no response to her command. The room stayed dark. Adel assumed most lighting systems were now voice activated.

"Well, what I told you." Adel started patting the walls, looking for a familiar light switch, although she wasn't hopeful. "I'm sure it's not the easiest thing to believe. I know that Johns… well, he doesn't believe it. I'm glad you at least gave me a chance." Fry had moved to the window finding blinds. She opened them casting vertical beams of light upon Adel and a workbench.

"No matter what anyone believes, it's been traumatic. We all need to be on the same team." A mechanical clicking drew their attention to the worktable; a device showing the suns revolving around the planet, one planet always seeming to be in the light.

"An orrery." Adel breathed. Though she'd studied ancient history and in school, she'd always been fascinated with astronomy. Truth be told, it had been her passion until a professor had told her that her math skills were not strong enough to succeed in the field. "It illustrates the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons in a respective position." Fry shot her a quizzical look before moving to the model. She watched as the 'suns' rotated around the smaller planet in the center.

"No darkness. No lights because there's no darkness…" she murmured as she watched the orbs move.

The two women continued through the small building, Adel stopping in front of a wall with photographs. A small boy and his parents stood proudly in front of a tiny garden; beside that the same little boy and a red bike. Throughout the room, they noted things that had been left behind.

Not seeing anything of use, they stepped back out into the sun heading around towards the back of the building.

"Strange that they'd leave so much behind…" Adel trailed off. She and Fry stared out over the rear of the small encampment. The same bleached; blinding terrain was all that they could see. Fry turned to head back through the building when she stopped. Looking in the direction she was squinting, Adel finally saw it too. A glint in the sunlight. She and Fry began walking towards a small shed. Soon, Fry broke into a run. Adel followed until they reached the door was cracked enough for whatever it was to reflect the light. Both grabbing a door, the two women pushed them open to reveal a small plane like vehicle!

"Allahu Akbar!" Fry yelled. She beamed happily! "Allahu Akbar!" Adel heard the others approaching at a run. They all began talking excitedly as Fry pulled a release and a hatch door popped open.

"A skiff!"

"Will it work?"

"We can finally go home!"

Pulling the hatch down to form a ramp, Fry headed up to the flight panel. She flipped a few switches. Nothing happened. Adel waited with the others as Fry headed back down the ramp. Johns stood away from the group, his head cocked slightly.

"No juice, looks like it's been laid up for years. We might be able to adapt—"She was interrupted by Johns abruptly.

"Shut up." No one moved as he listened. "Sorry. Thought I heard something.

"Like what?" Adel asked.

"Like my gun." Johns growled.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Adel and the others watched as Johns took off in a sprint towards the crash site. Imam and Fry shared a quizzical look before glancing at Adel. She in turn, shrugged and took off at a jog, following in Johns' direction. Fry, Imam and the boys soon fell instep beside her. After traipsing, single file back through the bone canyon, they arrived at the crash ship to find Riddick on the ground with Johns' beating him with a baton. Shazza was sobbing. Paris and Jack were standing off to the side, looking horror stricken. Adel watched the scene, gasping against her breather. Concern niggled its way through her mind.

_This isn't right!_

_Who knows what he did!_

_He's a murder._

_Still he's immobile and Johns is beating the shit out of him!. _

"Johns! Hey! HEY!" Fry moved, stopping Johns from his barrage. As she pulled him back, something snapped in Shazza. Suddenly, she was pummeling Riddick with her hands.

"What'd you do to him? Zeke! What'd you do to him!"

Adel moved in synch with Paris. They both pulled Shazza back, restraining her arms behind her. She sobbed harder as Jack put his arm around her to comfort her. Johns hauled Riddick to his feet, wrapping his wrists in some sort of electronic handcuff. He marched him towards the ship. The others stood around Shazza, offering words of comfort.

A few minutes later, Johns returned. As a group they headed towards an open hole in the ground. A tarp covered it, offering shaded protection from the glaring blue sun. A small hole was open towards the back, the mouth of which was coated in gore. Blood glistened in a strip of sun that had managed to penetrate a crack between the tarp and the wall. Johns was turning over a small, roughly carved knife that he held in his hand.

"Is that what he used?" Fry asked.

"Sir shivs-a-lot. He likes to cut. His weapon of choice." Johns spoke matter-of-factly, as if he and Riddick were old pals. Adel thought for a moment.

"So why isn't it all bloody?"

Johns looked at her. His eyes hardened, holding her gaze.

"Probably licked it clean."

Adel looked around for Fry, feeling the need to be around the closest person she had to familiar.

She found comfort in the docking pilot turned captain, probably because they both had a heavy weight upon their shoulders. She saw her turning to walk to the ship where she assumed Johns had Riddick chained up again. Fry noticed Adel's gaze and motioned for her to follow. It seemed the feeling was mutual.

Together, they found Riddick. He watched the two women enter, his nostrils flaring slightly. It felt like he was staring straight trough her with nothing but the unnerving black goggles to indication a direction of his point of view.

"Tell me about the sounds. You told the others you heard something right?" Fry approached him cautiously, carefully. Riddick, moved his head just slightly, though he didn't respond. "If you don't talk to me, I'm sure Johns will take another crack at it…"

"You mean the whispers…" his voice was like nothing Adel had ever heard. A low baritone, rumbling deep in his throat, almost like a purr. Sensuous and seductive.

_Stop that!_

_He's a murderer. _

"What whispers?" Fry murmured quietly.

"The ones tellin' me to go for the sweet spot – just to the left of the spine, fourth lumbar down. The abdominal aorta. Metallic taste to it, human blood. Copperish." His voice was low, even – almost as if he were speaking about a lover. Adel was appalled and enticed at the same time. Horrified that she was hanging off this man's every word, his voice drawing her in like a moth to a flame. "But if you cut it peppermint schnapps, that goes away." He cocked his head, presumably looking Fry over for a reaction. She started at him, transfixed, mulling over his words. Adel's breath hitched in anticipation as she watched. His muscled arms were tied on either side of him, spread wide.

"Why don't we try again? This time the truth." Fry said quietly. He chuckled.

"All you people are so scared of me. Most days I'd take that as a compliment but it ain't me you gotta worry about now." Fry stood, almost entranced.

"Show me your eyes, Riddick." She murmured quietly. Adel's breath caught in her throat. She had imagined what his eyes would look like. A deep, rich brown. Maybe an icy, steel gray.

"You'd have to come a lot closer for that." Fry moved closer, slowly. Adel took a tiny step forward. He turned to face her. "Closer." His voice rumbled. She was having a hard time concentrating. She could feel his voice, wrapping around her, drawing her in more. She moved in closer as Fry moved her hands to his face. She pulled the goggles off to reveal his eyes.

_Good lord. _

His eyes were luminescent, beautiful beyond words; jewel-like in appearance, similar to those of cats or other animals of the night. She couldn't look away, never having seen anything like them before. The voice of her subconscious was barely audible.

_Murderer…_

"Where can I get eyes like that?" She whispered, not even realizing what she was saying.

_Murderer…_

"You've gotta kill a few people." He turned to face her directly. She felt captivated, immobile, pinned under his enticing gaze. Despite the heat, an uncontrollable shiver rocked down her spine, forcing the hairs on her arms to stand straight. "Then you've gotta get sent to a slam where they tell ya you'll never see daylight again. You pick up a doctor, and you pay him twenty menthol cools to do a surgical shine job on your eyeballs."

"So you can see who's coming up behind you in the dark." Fry spoke this time, trying to control the wonder in her voice. She cleared her throat a bit. "Never seen a shine in person." She looked to Adel for a moment before Riddick spoke again.

"Did I kill a few People? Sure. Did I kill Zeke? No, you've got the wrong killer..." Adel shivered again as he spoke, his words trailing like ice down her spine.

_Killer…_

"He's not in the hole. We looked." Fry said, stepping back. Riddick leaned, resting his back against a beam behind him.

"Look deeper."

Adel looked to Fry. She seemed to be mulling over his words. Adel watched as her lips set in a determined line. Fry grabbed a length of chain that had been sitting on the floor near Riddick. Looping it over her shoulder, she stalked from the ship. Adel looked back a Riddick. He shrugged and nodded at her slightly, mimicking her actions from earlier after he had performed his arm popping escape.

Adel hustled her step and moved to follow fry.

_At least she's able to react in a situation like this._

_What good have you been?_

Adel saw Fry move past the others, heading towards the gravesite. The rest of the group following after her, interested at her determined gait. Johns, figuring out Fry's intent, jogged to catch up with her. From her vantage point, Adel could tell Fry and Johns were discussing something. She began her trek towards the others, keeping her eyes on the two. Johns had placed his hand on her arm, pulling her away from the other people. They spoke some more before Fry pulled her arm from his grasp. She hooked the chain's clasp to her belt and crawled through the dirt and gore to enter the hole at the bottom of the grave.

A good fifteen minuets had passed since Fry had entered the hole. Adel watched with the others, anxiously awaiting the other woman's return. She admired Fry's strength. Time and time again she had stepped up to do what she needed, though, Adel knew it was partially due to the guilt she felt from trying to purge the cargo bay during the crash.

Since she had entered the hole, Fry's chain had kept a slow, constant pace as the woman moved deeper underground. However, it hadn't moved in a few minutes. Everyone crowding the hole had noticed.

"Shh. Did you hear that?" Imam spoke, hushing everyone crowded. Silence fell over the small entourage. A whisper of wind kicked a bit of sand into the air as it rushed by. Jack had his head turned, hearing something only he could hear. Suddenly he took off toward a cluster of earthen spires jutting out of the ground. Adel moved, following the boy until she heard it.

"I'm in here!" Muted and far, it was Fry's voice, on the verge of panic.

Adel picked up the pace as the others followed.

"Help! I'm in here!" Terror resounded in Fry's voice. A low, unnerving clicking sound could be heard within the spire. As Adel and Jack reached the spire, they could hear Fry more clearly. Jack began pounding on the spire as Johns ran up to join them. He used the butt of his gun to break through the spire.

"Fry?" Jack called. Jack and Johns reached in, finding her hand and pulled her back into the sunlight. Questions from Jack and Shazza flooded Fry.

"It wasn't… wasn't Riddick… something else… Goddamn, that was stupid…it wasn't Riddick. Something else down there. Got Zeke… nearly got … "Between her heaving breaths she managed to get small details out. She was cut short suddenly by a yank. She flew back towards the spire, crashing into it before being pulled partially back into its darkened shaft. Adel leapt forward, along with Johns, Jack and Shazza, grabbing at her arms, trying to pull the woman back from whatever was trying to pull her down. Their grip was slowly slipping as Imam reached into his robes, retrieving a ceremonial blade. He deftly sliced through Fry's belt, sending her flying into the rest of the survivors. The chain snaked past, quickly being enveloped by the spire. More clicking and a strange echo drifted up from the recesses below.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_What the fuck?_

Adel tried in vain to keep herself from visibly shaking. After Fry had been yanked back towards the towering, hollow spire by whatever it was in under the ground, Adel physically had to force herself not to give into the panic gnawing at her nerves. The group of survivors had made their way back to the camp, slowly, not talking. Each person reliving what had happened. Fry had told them that whatever was down there was strong and quick. She never actually saw one long enough to get a good look at it, but there were many down there.

_Breath. Just remember to breathe. _

_Ok. Let's run down the facts. _

_You're in the future or something like it. _

_Shipwrecked. _

_On an alien planet._

_With a few other people. _

_On of whom is a murderer._

_And some fucking aliens that just tried to eat or whatever-the-fuck they do to Fry!_

_Fuck! _

Adel looked up to realize that they had arrived back at camp and the group was headed back to the ship with Johns in the lead. They were all together so they all followed, stopping short as Johns stopped in front of Riddick.

"Finally found something worse than me?" Riddick spoke, casually, his voice a deep, mocking purr that rolled in waves over Adel as she watched the two men interact. Johns ignored his tone as he spoke calmly.

"So here's the deal. You would without chains, without the bit..." he paused. "Without shivs. You do what I say, when I say it." Paris emitted a barely audible gasp. Adel couldn't tear her eyes away from the bound man but was able to hear an almost silent 'yesss' from Jack.

"For what?" Riddick finally spoke. "The honor of going back to some asshole of a cell." There was anger, though thinly veiled, behind is words. "Fuck you!" Johns sighed.

"The truth is that I'm tried of chasing you."

"Are you saying you'd cut me loose?" Riddick scoffed.

"I'm thinking you could have died in the crash." Johns shrugged as he spoke. The room was silent as they waited for the large man's response. Riddick looked towards Johns.

"My recommendation: Do me. Don't take the chance that I'll get shiv-happy on your wanna-be ass." His voice was intense. Had it been directed to Adel, she probably would have cowered, as much as she didn't want to think she would, pleading that he not hurt her. "Ghost me, motherfucker. That's what I'd do to you." Johns glanced back at the group. Adel still stared at Riddick, not noticing Johns' hand bringing up his shotgun until he swung it around, holding it to Riddick's head. Quickly he fired off a shot as Riddick moved his head away in a split second. Fry startled, staring hard at Johns as the two men faced each other.

"I want you to remember this moment. The way it could have gone and didn't." There was a click as Johns released Riddick's chains. Their fall to the floor echoed in the silence. Riddick rubbed his wrist as Johns offered him a hand to stand. In the split second that Johns' hand was extended, Riddick moved so quickly that Adel didn't even register the action, just the movement. Suddenly, Johns' gun was pointed at it's owner.

"Whoa. Take it easy..." Johns held his hands up, visibly surprised that Riddick had turned on his deal.

"Fuck you!" The larger man behind the gun kept his gaze pinned on Johns.

"Do we have a deal?" Johns nearly whispered the question as the other survivors waited for Riddick's response. He started thoughtfully at Johns.

"I want you to remember this moment." He lowered the gun, as Johns exhaled a breath of air that he had been beholding.

Back outside the ship, the group had decided to make their way to the settlement, taking what they deemed necessary from the crash ship. Adel had nothing so she watched as Fry and Imam pulled a power cell between the two of them to load into the skif. Everything else that was useful, was pulled on a sled by Riddick.

_Murderer to carthorse, eh?_

_That can't be easy, especially with no breather. _

Adel glanced back as the group began to move, wondering why she felt the need to give him some oxygen.

_Oh stop. _

_Seriously, do you have a death wish or something?_

"So you click your fingers and he's one of us?" Shazza fell in step besides Johns while Jack followed with her. The young Crislams followed behind her as Adel, Fry and Imam walked side by side with Paris behind them. Riddick brought up the rear.

"I didn't say that. At least this way I don't have to worry about you all…" he glanced to Jack. "Falling asleep and not waking up." Jack took that as his opportunity to chime in. He jogged ahead a step, then turned to look at Johns.

" So, can I talk to him no?"

A resounding NO from Shazza and Johns, shook the boy back into step with them.

Adel and Fry had been discussing what she had seen in the caverns beneath the surface.

".. Well, I'm not sure. Not human. An animal of some sort. Definitely had a tail…" she was cut off by an expletive from Paris.

"Blast!"

He had dropped a bottle of alcohol which slid back down the slight sand dune they had all been moving staidly past. Adel stopped, looking back, startled at his outburst. She watched as the bottle slid, Paris chasing after it, only to finally come to rest at the feet of the notorious murder. Riddick reached out, placing a large hand on the bottle just as Paris made a grab for it. Adel could see the anxiety cross his face. Apparently, he had remembered his upbringing because he stuck out his hand towards Riddick.

"P-Paris P. Ogilvie." His formal tone was almost laughable in contrast with his obviously edginess. "Antiquities dealer, entrepreneur." Riddick grinned. He was amused to say the least.

_Great smile_

_Shhh._

Riddick gripped Paris' hand as he spoke.

"Richard B. Riddick. Escaped convict, murderer." His grin widened as Paris blanched and paled as he spoke the title.

_He really does enjoy freaking people out. _

_Well, I suppose if that's all you know. _

Adel made a mental note to remember that he liked to fuck with people. She watched as he raised Paris' bottle to his lips.

"T-that's a particularly good Shiraz. Lovely drop." Riddick kept drinking. "It's very expensive…" By then he had downed half the bottle. "By all means, help yourself." Pairs turned back to the group. They all began to move again, silently traversing the canyon. Adel felt herself straining for any sound to indicate the creatures from the cavern were nearby. Finally, they crested the canyon wall and finished the trek to the settlement. Adel kept her normal pace as Fry and Iman moved ahead to get the power cell to the skif.

As the others joined them, Fry had already adapted the cell and was standing up, dusting her hands on her pants.

"We've got enough juice for a sys-check but we'll still need more cells." Johns had come up to stand beside her, staring at the open skif.

"how many are we talking about?"

"Well, let's see. We've got an 80 gig draw. The other ship takes 20 gig cells, so that'd be five."

"Five total to launch" Johns murmured thoughtfully.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The draw of the unknown had always been a problem for Adel.

_Too curious for her own good_.

That's what her mother used to say. As a child, she'd always be the first to leap, trusting anyone and never afraid of what could be. She'd run her parents ragged with her constant exploration, always moving, constantly in everything. Her grandmother had said she was full of life.

At least she had been until she was fourteen. She had been texting on her new cell phone while on the way home from school when she found herself enticed by an old, abandoned building. It had a huge awning and burnt out bulbs surrounding a billboard; and old theater. Too drawn to turn back, she found herself wandering around the building when, to her surprise and delight, the back had no window panes. She glanced to the sidewalk that she had abandoned before the lust for adventure pulled at her again. She placed the phone on the grimy windowsill before hoisting herself up and gazing into the theater.

She was looking into the auditorium. A large stage dominated the room, dark with inky black shadows looming outside of daylight's reach. Rows of chairs stood before it, angling upwards until they reached the back of the room. Adel felt adrenaline race through her veins as she pushed herself up all the way. She sat on the windowsill before swinging her legs over. She dropped to the debris-covered carpet, stumbling slightly as she landed on a wooden board. She looked around. No noise.

"Hellooo!" She called. A fluttering of wings could be heard above her but nothing else. All alone.

_Good._

She moved easily through the auditorium, finding items that she assumed had been props at one point. She found an old hat, dusty and faded with age. Plopping it on her head, she climbed the short set of stairs on the end of the stage. The wood beneath her feet echoed as she twirled to the center of the stage.

"Presenting Adel Shau inn…" She lowered her voice to sound like an announcer before she stopped short. A loud creaking sound had interrupted her introduction. Before she could react, the floorboards beneath her gave way and she was falling. A sharp, agonizing pain shot through her leg as she fell. Fortunately, there was a platform beneath the stage. From what she could tell, it covered the orchestra pit. Her cell phone had slid across to the other side of the platform. She looked up, seeing the hole through which she fell. She wasn't going to be able to climb out easily. Bracing her weight, she tried to stand. Blinding, crushing pain shot through her leg as she fell back to the floor. She knew it had to be broken. She'd have to reach her cell phone. Using her arms, she pulled her body along the platform, fighting back tears as she moved, each inch excruciating.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, her outstretched fingertips touched the cool, plastic of her phone. She shakily dialed her father.

"Daddy." She cried, the tears she had held back, finally breaking her resistance.

"'Del? What's wrong." His concern made the tears come faster, knowing how often he and her mother had told her to think about things before acting.

"I- I think my leg. It's broken." She sobbed into the phone.

"Where are you, hunny?"

"I don't know the name… An old theater. I took a shortcut home from school and…" Her breath hitched as more tears fell. The pain in her leg was making her dizzy.

"The Starlight? I know where it is. I'll be right there." She could hear movement from the other end of the phone. "You just stay on the phone with me." She heard him call for her mother and briefly relay the story. His words were hazy since she had been concentrating on the pain she felt. She heard him speaking soothingly, telling her mother to get in the car, to dial 911. He spoke to her the whole drive until she heard his voice.

_Strange echo…_

"ADEL." She heard his voice through the phone but it was louder. She realized he was standing outside.

"Daddy…" She called out. The phone went dead. In the distance she could hear sirens. Her mother. She could hear her mother crying. Frantic footsteps echoed through the theater as Adel listened. Her father's face appeared above her in the hole in the floor. He took in her prone position, the bruising and swelling of her leg before he spoke.

"Oh Adel. What were you doing?" Before she spoke, Adel heard more footsteps and a loud bang. Soon she was surrounded by EMTs and they had her hoisted on a gurney. Fortunately the wood of the stage was so rotten that they could pull enough away to lift her straight out of the pit's enclosure. Her father held her hand as they moved her down the stairs. Her mother stood there, her face streaked with mascara. The loud bang had apparently been the back door to the stage. It had been knocked down and she was carried thought to the hospital where she was admitted and wheeled off to surgery. When she had come out, her parents were already in her room. Her grandmother was there too. Her grandmother's face was wracked with sorrow as the older woman moved to sit beside Adel. Though she had just come out of anesthesia, she was still exhausted and Adel finally felt herself succumb to her exhaustion. Holding her parents hands, she drifted off listening to her grandmother murmur a phrase that had stuck with her a lifetime.

"This too shall pass, Little Bird."

Adel pulled herself out of the memory. She had moved away from the group, the draw of the unknown having pulled her away. She was wandering through a dusty corridor between two buildings. Around her she saw dead patches where she assumed gardens once grew broken furniture and toys. She stopped, looking around.

_Was that one of the kids…_

She ignored the sound, assuming it was one of the other members of their group. She found herself facing a building covered with a large tarp. She pushed one end aside as she tried the handle. The lock released but it seemed to be barred from the inside.

"Heavy doors. Chains on the inside. Think they were trying to keep something out?" A deep, baritone voice startled her into jumping as he chuckled. Riddick stood on at the edge of the building. He moved toward her, his gait flawless, before stopping inches from her. She heard him inhale quietly. Her mind felt fuzzy at his close proximity. She inhaled sharply, alarmed but not afraid, smelling the sweat on his skin. The rumble of his voice entirely distracting. So distracting, in fact, that she almost missed him stepping closer to her. Instinctually she took a step back, realizing that somehow she had her back to the building and was almost touching it.

_Too curious for your own fucking good!_

_He's a murderer! A criminal! _

_You should be afraid of him!_

Someone cleared their throat, annoyed. Johns. He eyed her dismissively up and down before smirking.

"Missin' the party. Come on, boy." Johns had the nerve to pat his thigh like he was calling a dog. His smirk made the hair on Adel's arms stand up as he turned away. Riddick turned back to Adel, holding her gaze for a moment before yanking the tarp off the building. It fell in a pool beside them revealing the words 'coring room' printed on the side. Atop the building sat Jack, who had been spying, presumably following Riddick. The large man looked up at the boy who had donned a pair of goggles.

"Missin' the party. Come on!" He imitated Johns southern twang as he looked to Adel and jerked his head for her to join him.

They found the rest of the group in a small building with crystal wine goblets filled with water sitting on the table. Adel picked up a glass as Imam spoke.

"All praises be Allah, for his many blessings." They drank after his prayer, silent. The door opened and everyone startled as Jack walked in with a newly shaved head. Still wearing the goggles, he glanced at Riddick, who hid a smile. Paris scoffed loudly.

"It's the winner of the look-alike contest."

Jack cleared his throat before he spoke.

"Who were these people anyway? Miners?"

"Geologists from the look of it." Shazza answered. "An advance team. Moving from rock to rock."

"Nice of them to leave so much stuff here." Paris said before gulping the rest of his water.

"Why'd they leave their ship here?" Jack again.

"It's not a ship," Johns spoke with authority. "It's a skiff. Disposable really. For emergencies."

"So… like a life raft?" Adel spoke, determined to understand at least part of this world she had been thrust into. Fry nodded at her, smiling slightly before Shazza spoke.

"They probably had a big drop ship take they off planet."

"These people didn't leave. Come on." Riddick spoke, silencing everyone, his presence demanding their attention. "Whatever got Zeke got them. They're all dead." Seeing the look of fear and doubt on their faces he continued. "You don't really think they left with their clothes on the hooks, photos on the shelves…" He eyed the faces around him, his eyes coming to rest on Adel. She inwardly shivered.

_What is it with you? _

_He should scare me but he doesn't. _

_He's an outsider… so are you.. _

_Are you looking for a connection with a murderer?_

_Maybe just with one of the few people on this planet._

Shazza eyed him defiantly.

"Maybe they had weight limits." He turned his goggled gaze to her.

"I know you don't prep your emergency ship unless there's a fucking emergency."

"he's fucking right." Jack chimed.

"Watch your mouth." Johns snapped, not even looking at the boy. Finally Fry spoke.

"He's just saying what were all thinking. So what happened? Where are they?"

Suddenly, Imam rushed to the table. Adel hadn't even noticed him leave.

"Has anyone seen the little one? Ali?" His voice was bordering on the verge of frenzy. Adel recognized that tone. Her father had used the same tone when she called him in tears as she lay under the theater stage. She snuck a glance at Riddick who returned the gaze at the same time as he spoke.

"Has anyone checked the Coring Room?" No one spoke but Imam tore from the room. Adel and the others followed. As she remembered, the room was still chained.

"Stand back." Johns spoke as he stepped forward, aiming his shotgun at the door handle. One. Two blasts and they were through. As they pushed the doors open Imam called out.

"Ali!" His voice resonated with grief. A small noise was heard from the a small supply room off to the side. Imam pulled the door open only to stop as a loud shriek echoed through the room. A flock of bird-like creatures were circling the room, heading straight for them. Imam dove to the ground as Johns pulled the doors closed. They creatures shrieked past Imam as Johns re-opened the doors only to watch the animals fly straight down a hole that was inside of a caged enclosure. Above a large drill sat dormant.

A loud thud drew their attention back. Ali, or what once was Ali, lay on the floor. His face had been picked to a bloody pulp. Adel gasped, looking away as Imam fell to his knees in despair. Fry turned away, inching towards the fenced enclosure. Adel followed quickly, not wanted to see the poor child's mutilated face. Looking down a long shaft, she saw that it was littered with human bones. Riddick spoke.

"The other buildings weren't secure. So they ran here. Heaviest doors. Thought they'd be safe inside." He paused. "But they forgot to lock the cellar."

Adel turned, heading away from the bones and the boy's body as Fry joined her. While they walked Fry spoke.

"Whatever those things are, they seem to stick to darkness."

"So if we stick to daylight, we should be ok." Fry glanced down at a table that was before them, distracted.

"Twenty two years ago.." She looked at Adel, then back at Johns as he joined them.

"what?" He asked.

"These coring samples are dated 22 years ago this month." He held a small glass slide in her hands.

"Is there something special about that?"

_His damn dry sarcasm. _

"I don't know. Maybe." Fry left the coring room at a run. Adel looked at Johns before following her. She noticed that Fry was heading in the direction of the room that they had first explored.

_Of course! _

_The orrery._

She entered the room, followed by the small group to find Fry turning the arms of the orrery. A quiet click indicated each year as the planets rotated.

20…

21…

22…

"An eclipse." Adel whispered, voicing the concern apparent in Fry's eyes. She hadn't noticed Riddick behind her until he spoke, his voice low and calm, contrasting the emotional storm raging inside of her.

"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Adel felt numb.

An eclipse.

Truth be told, she wasn't afraid, per se but the dark always made her feel uneasy. Not that she was usually concerned by whatever lurked in the night. At home, wherever that home was now, the worst worry she had was a bug in the bathroom or her eyes transforming the shadows of her bedroom into other-worldly monsters.

But here… here the monsters were real and were no trick of tired eyes. They waited within the recesses of shadow, desperate for a mistake by some unwitting prey.

_Fuck me, I'm going to die on this piece of shit planet._

Adel moved found herself wandering. She had no destination, no purpose, no understanding of the technology used in the present time. Walking but not seeing, she came to a jolting stop as she ran into a solid barricade.

_Shit._

Cursing her wandering mind, she stumbled, shaken as she put some distance between herself and Riddick. She felt herself losing her balance and began to brace for the fall before she realized a muscled arm had snaked out, catching her around her waist. Her breath caught in her throat as he held her there. She looked to his covered eyes, wishing she could see them, willing herself to look away.

_You silly little twit. _

_You're about to fucking die and you're thinking about his arms?_

What the hell was she thinking? In an utterly dire situation, on a planet that wasn't Earth, in a time that wasn't her own, all she could focus on was the feel of his arm supporting her. It had been a long time since she had been in such close proximity to a man, anyone for that matter. Her fiancé had decided she wasn't good enough for him and found what he had been looking for with her best friend. His parents had money and he had good looks. Unbeknownst to her, Adel had been just another conquest, a prize on the mantle. She had been broken for a long time then; inadequate, unloved… her own insecurities overtaking her rational mind, causing her to become somewhat of a shut in, only leaving for food and to attend her job as an IT support specialist.

Jeremy.

That was his name. She had loved him so fully, so purely; though it had obviously meant more on her end.

But when he held her, it had never felt like this… Solid, unwavering, intense…

_Stop!_

Focusing herself, she steadied her feet and pushed herself out of his arms. He cocked his head slightly to the side in an intrigued manner. She could have sworn she saw the corner of his mouth twitch up to smile but if she had, it was almost as instantly gone. She murmured a quick apology before looking up. The rest of the group was there, though no one paid any attention to their brief interaction, as they stared at the horizon. She noted an arched, large crescent shape just over the horizon. It was dark and luminous and grew as it rose away from the earth.

"What do my eyes see?" Paris spoke, his accent wavering slightly, his voice sounding tight. It was Shazza who then broke the silence.

"If we need anything from the crash ship, I suggest we kick on. That Sand Cat's solar!" The severity of her statement kicked everyone into motion. Bodies piled into the jeep-like Sand Cat as Shazza pulled a cover off the solar eye. A clear dome reflected glinted, reflecting the suns, as the internal solar panels absorbed enough light to kick the motor into action. Whirring blades spun beneath the clear housing as Shazza jumped behind the steering wheel. She tore through the settlement, heading down into the bone yard canyon. Adel sat in the back, next to Imam and the older boy. Standing above her, to the left, was Jack, the other Crislam boy and to her right Riddick. Johns stood beside him, eyeing Riddick, who seemed to not notice. The Sand Cat bounced and jostled as they drove over the rough terrain. She saw, looming before them, a large ribcage directly in their path. She glanced up. The others had seen it but Jack was eyeing Riddick. She jerked Jack's hand, pulling the boy to sit while the older men ducked as bones crashed past in a mock tunnel. He looked at her; wide eyed as the vehicle's wide berth jostled a few supporting rib bones, sending the whole structure crashing to the canyon floor in their wake. As they bumped and jostled along, Adel snuck a quick peek between the two men, at the impossible sight behind her. A large, ringed planet was rising at an alarming rate towards the remaining suns. It was a scene strait from a science fiction movie, seeing the luminescent glow of the golden-hued rings rising on the horizon. A shudder of fear of the unknown shook her body as she faced the front again. They were arriving at the crash site.

As quickly as they piled on, the small group of people leapt off the Sand Cat. Adel noticed Jack staring at the sky. The rings of the larger planet had nearly reached the suns. She silently nudged him into movement. She watched as Paris took off towards another section of the ship! Fry called after him.

"Paris! Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna get some things. I'll be a few minutes" his voice shook with exertion as he called over his shoulder. He spun around to face Fry but kept moving. "You wouldn't leave without me, would you?" As he spoke, he slowed as he neared the other section of the ship, still facing the direction he had come, though he was not looking at Fry anymore. Adel turned, following his gaze. The rings of the large planet, had reached the yellow sun. As if someone had closed a door, the white light from the sun was blotted out, creating a dim twilight. From further away, a high-pitched screeching echoed through the air, chilling Adel to the core. She felt movement behind stop, knowing that the rest of the group was watching as the rings slowly enveloped the red sun. Another door closed and they were thrown into near darkness. Dark, eerie silhouettes were still visible against the dusky, remaining light. The high pitched calls grew louder, almost frenzied, emanating from the spires in the distance that they had found earlier.

Adel stared, terrified as she was just barely able to make out something pouring out of the spires into the waning coronal light. Almost smoke-like in appearance, Adel realized that hundreds of those terrifying creatures were filling the sky. Sensing movement to her right, she glanced to see Riddick beside her. At that moment, Adel wished she could see what he was seeing.

More squealing filled the air as the creatures began to fan out into the night sky.

"How many…?" Adel murmured quietly, not really to anyone, trailing off at the sheer terror. Though she didn't expect a response, one came from the man beside her. He stared at the swirling mass of flying predators, undulating as they soared away from the spire.

"Beautiful."

Adel stood, transfixed as she watched the small hoard spread. She was vaguely aware of Shazza attempting to start the sand cat, with Jack trying to keep the clear dome free of dust; the blades inside sputtered, turning weakly with the lack of light before powering down completely.

_Move! They're heading towards you!_

From behind her, she heard Paris yell.

"People, just a suggestion, but perhaps you should flee!" He stood in the doorway to the section of broken ship, clinging to the frame as if stepping into the night would ensure his death.

"Let's go!" Fry called. She Johns, Jack and the Crislams took off. Mentally shaking herself awake, she realized that they were indeed heading in the direction of the ship.

"Shit!" Shazza smacked the Sand Cat before launching herself out of the driver's seat. She and Adel ran with Riddick following close behind them.

_Oh, fuck!_

From above, a loud, screeching overpowered her ears. Not bothering to look up, she raced toward a slight ditch in the sand. Just as the screeching got to be unbearable, she dove into the ditch. She heard Shazza and Riddick hit the ground near her. She stayed flat on her stomach as she heard a wave of flapping wings and screeches pass above her. She could feel the air move as it passed by their wings, making her hair flutter just slightly. A foul, fetid stench permeated through the clutch of animals as it screeched past. Her breath came quicker, harder, making it difficult to breathe as she felt her body involuntarily shaking. Feeling that now-familiar panic feeling, she willed herself not to give in. She could feel adrenaline beginning to sure through her body. The animals above had made their pass. Adel looked up to see the tail end of their procession.

_Run. Now! _

She looked to her side, seeing that Shazza had the same idea. She was crouched, paused, listening. Adel glanced at Riddick, noting that he was still flat on his back. Shazza had gotten to her feet and was taking her first step when Adel heard it. Screeching. Again. More frenzied.

"Stay down, Shazza! Just stay down!" From a distance, though dully muted through the pounding of blood rushing in her ears, Adel was able to hear Jack's panicked voice. Shazza apparently didn't hear him. She had made it a few steps when another swoop of the flying creatures brought her to her knees. She struggled as more screeching filled the evening air. More and more of the winged animals swarmed her, lifting her into the air. Suddenly, to Adel's ever-growing horror, Shazza's torso was not attached to her lower half anymore. Amazing still alive, Shazza's screams mixed with the screeching of the animals as they carried her into the sky.

Adel couldn't breathe.

She tried to inhale. Her lungs didn't seem to be working. She lay on her stomach, unable to move, sure that the animals would come back for her next. After hearing movement behind her, she forced herself to look over her shoulder.

Riddick.

She exhaled a sigh of relief as he looked left, and then right before standing. She followed in suit, rising shakily to her feet. Sand clung to her everywhere. She unconsciously brushed it from her thighs and torso, watching as Riddick dusted his hands off before strolling off towards the others. She fell in step beside him, though his pace was considerably more relaxed. She held her hands, her fingers interlaced, to keep them from visibly shaking.

_How is he so calm?_

His stride was easy and he looked more inconvenienced than anything. From behind her, a louder, clicking sound echoed through the air. Adel didn't look back.

They reached the smaller portion of ship. Adel stepped inside, pulled into an embrace by Fry. Without reason, Adel clutched the other woman, desperate for the human contact. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she clung to her. She felt tightness in her throat as she fought off hysteria. She choked back a quiet sob, forcing back the tears.

_This too shall pass, Little Bird. _

_Stay strong. Just a little longer._

Behind her, she heard Riddick pulling the sliding bay door. She pulled away from Fry as another clicking eco cut through the sky. He stood in the doorway, his goggles removed as he stared into the night.

"What is it?" Fry asked quietly. "What is it now?"

"Like I said, it ain't me you've gotta worry about."

In the distance, the larger planet finally moved to over take the last glimmer of light from the two suns and as Riddick spoke, the small group plunged into the darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"She should've stayed down." Jack sniffled, unable to stop the sudden tears. "If she only would've stayed down, she'd be okay. She wouldn't have died." Adel had an arm around the boy, as he mourned the loss of Shazza. She didn't think they had been family but they had seemed close. Beside them, Fry and Johns were discussing quietly.

"Remember the bone yard?" He questioned. "These just might be the fuckers that killed every living thing on this damn planet." Jack looked up, speaking aloud.

"What are we gonna do now?"

"Are these the only lights we have?" Johns spoke, swinging around a flashlight he had produced.

"No, there's a cutting torch on the floor somewhere." Fry spoke, surveying the ground.

"Quiet please, everyone." Imam spoke, drawing the group's attention, his ear close to the closed door. The room was silent for a moment, as a clicking sound swept past outside. Suddenly, a blade-like talon pushed through the metal wall, inches from Imam's head. He startled, too stunned to make a noise, before pushing himself as far from the wall as he could. More creatures could be heard clawing at the door.

"Why do they do that? Make that clicking sound?" Jack asked in whimper, desperate for a distraction. It was quiet again for a moment.

"Perhaps it's the way they see, echo-location…" Imam answered quietly. More clicking resounded within the interior of the ship. Flashlights swung to reveal an open hallway, the clicking sounding somewhere within.

"Could be a breach somewhere...?" Fry murmured as they watched the hallway for movement.

"Come on Johns. You've got the big gauge." Riddick told him, almost jovially. Johns never took his eyes from the darkened corridor.

"I'd rather piss glass." His southern twang was strained, both of his hands on his shot gun.

"I'm not staying here one more second!" A panicked outburst from Paris caused Adel to jump. He was scrambling to the door to the outside!

"You don't know what's out there!" Fry exclaimed.

"I know what's in here!" Pairs' voice was near a whimper as he sat on the cargo container he was pulled back onto. Johns grabbed the cutting torch that Fry had recently found. Struggling to get it lit, he finally produced a flame and began cutting through a wall on the side of the room. Shortly, a small hole was made, large enough for the group to duck through one by one. The clicking from the end of the hall had begun to get louder. Adel waited as Fry and Jack ducked through before following. They found themselves in a larger, dark room. Control panels lined the walls as well as various smaller storage containers. The other's filed through and waited as Riddick, Johns and Imam pushed a large container in place to cover the hole they had just made. Scratching sounded from above. It sounded as if something were on the roof above them, clawing to get in. The minutes passed like hours as Adel tried to maneuver in the dark. She spotted a beam of light and followed it, finding Jack.

"Where's Riddick?" Johns' voice sounded unnatural in the dark. Footsteps echoed quietly behind Adel. She turned, finding Fry. The two women stood with Jack, as the others slowly found their position.

"Hassan? Where is Hassan?" Imam's worried voice questioned aloud. There was no response.

Fry shined her light in his direction.

"We'll find him. We just have to keep moving." They walked together, following Fry who had knowledge of the ship's layout, though very different in the dark. Hearing fast paced footsteps, Adel saw Fry's beam of light swing in the direction of the sound, catching Riddick in the face. Without his goggles to protect his eyes, he howled, covering his eyes as he stumbled out of the light. Behind him, Fry's beam caught a large creature that had been in pursuit. In the split second that it was in the light, Adel was able to make out a large, vertical hammer-like appendage on top of its head. It was a grey, sickly color from what she managed to see. Nearly mimicking Riddick's movements, it too, howled as it dove out of the beam of light.

A loud blast caused Adel to jump. Ears ringing, she looked to find Johns' next to her, shotgun still smoking in his hands. He fired off another round and then there was silence. A thud signaled that something had fallen to the floor. Adel noticed Riddick standing as Fry's beam swung to the floor.

There.

The creature had been shot. It was large, grey and fleshy. It's skin popped and seared as numerous flashlights fell upon its skin.

"It looks like the light is scalding it." Adel exclaimed, intrigued despite her fear.

"It hurts them. The light actually hurts them." Fry murmured to herself. Back where the animal had retreated previously, the sounds of a scuffle were heard.

"Is that Hassan?" Imam looked up, glancing to Riddick. His lips set in a grim line, Riddick nodded.

"We'll burn a candle for him later." Johns spoke, ready to be back in action. With a flashlight strapped to his shot gun, he pushed through the group, heading towards a doorway on the far back wall. Once the group had filed through, and the door had been secured, they pooled their resources.

"So, we've got one cutting torch. Two handlights…" Fry listed as she spoke aloud. "There's gotta be something more."

"Spirits." Paris volunteered, though his voice sounded hollow and numb. "Anything over 45 proof will burn rather well."

"Johns, you've got some flares…" Fry trailed off in through. "Maybe we've got enough light."

"Enough for fuckin' what?" Johns demanded. Adel stared at the as best she could in the dim light. She had a feeling she knew what Fry was going to suggest.

_I can't go back out there with those things!_

_So you can die in a tin can?_

Fry eyed Johns, as if in a battle of wills.

"We stick to the plan. Get the four cells back to the skiff and we're off this rock." Johns looked as though he was about to argue but Paris beat him to the punch.

"I hate to ruin a beautiful theory with an ugly fact, but that Sand Cat is solar." He looked displeased. "It won't run at night."

_I refuse to die on this piece of shit planet._

_I won't._

_Then get your ass in gear, Little Bird._

"Well, then we'll carry them." Adel spoke, standing next to Fry. The other woman shot her a tiny, brief smile. "We'll drag them. Whatever it takes."

"You mean tonight? With all those… things… out there?" Jack spoke. His voice trembling slightly. Adel's heart went out to the boy. Probably about fourteen, he tried so hard to be brave and imitate his convict-idol, but at heart, he was still just a child.

"All right. Now wait a minute. Just how long can this last? A few hours?" Johns spoke, trying to rationalize. "A day, tops?" No one had the answer.

"I had the impression from the model…" It was Imam who spoke this time, prayer beads clutched in his left hand. "That the two planets moved as one and there would be a lasting darkness." The implication of those words hung over the room until Johns spoke again.

"Look, those suns have gotta come up sometime. We just sit tight and let the suns come up…" He sat down on a crate across from Fry.

"I'm sure somebody else said that..." Fry said to him, the expression on her face, combative. "Locked inside that coring room." Johns made a comment about 'looking out for the kid' which Adel thought might have been a cover for his own fears. Fry stated as much.

"Why don't you shut up for two seconds and let me come up with a plan that doesn't involve suicide?" Johns snapped at Fry. It was silent for a few moments, save for the echoes from outside the ship.

"How much you weigh, Johns?" Fry asked defiantly.

"The hell does that matter?" He asked.

"How. Much?" Fry repeated stubbornly.

"Around 79 kilos, why?" He responded, indulging her.

"Because your 79 kilos of gutless white meat…" She snapped angrily. "That's why you can't come up with a plan." As se finished speaking, everything seemed to happened at once.

"That right?" Johns made a move towards Fry. Fry jumped back as Adel stood, ready to help her only friend however she could. Riddick moved to block Johns and Johns pushed the end of his shotgun into Riddick's neck. "Where are you going?" Adel stiffened as she heard rhythmic tapping. Thinking at first, that another one of the creatures had managed to find them, she quickly focused on the source. A curved blade was in Riddick's hand, tapping against the fly of Johns' pants.

"Please, this solves nothing." Imam spoke. Johns and Riddick stared at each other, willing the other to move first. Finally, Johns broke the stare as Imam continued. "You're certain that you can find the way back? Even in the dark?" He looked to Fry imploringly.

"No, I'm not." Fry spoke confidently. "But he can." Adel followed Fry's gaze to where Riddick stood, half in shadow.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: If this chapter is a bit jumbly, I apologize. I wrote it within the last 20 minutes at work and wanted to get it up before I left. I'll read and review it later.**

Chapter Ten

Outfitted with blue lights that had been some component of the ship, Adel watched as Riddick looped a cable attached to a handlight around his body. It attached so that it was illuminating his back. She stood, helping Fry wrap the glowing blue light around her body, when Riddick approached them.

"I'll be running about 10 paces ahead. Keep the light on my back, not in my eyes." He started walking away, stopping near Jack. "And check your cuts. These bad boys know our blood now." The group finished outfitting themselves as well as a sheet-metal, makeshift sled that carried the power cells, a make shift generator and Paris' alcohol. They gathered by the door, each mentally preparing themselves for what lurked in the night. Riddick stepped out first, a beacon of light in the enveloping dark, followed by Johns and Imam who pulled the sled. Quickly, the last Crislam boy, Suleiman fell in place behind Imam and Adel followed to find a place opposite him behind Johns. Fry and Jack took the second position near the rear of the sled behind them and Paris brought up the rear. He held the cutting torch, nervously waving it at every sound.

"We stay together. We keep the light burning." Fry looked to Adel, then to Jack. "That's all we've gotta do to live through this thing."

They began to jog, Riddick in the lead, with Imam and Johns pulling the heavy sled. Adel, Fry, Jack, Suleiman, and Paris swung their lights in wide arcs, knowing that just beyond waited monsters in the night. The predator's clicking, sounded angry and frenzied as they immersed themselves in the night. Adel felt the burning prick of hundreds of eyes on her as she jogged. She sucked down air from the breather as her nerves flayed and senses adjusted to the dimmer lighting. She heard a cry in the dark. Glancing behind, she saw Jack stumble and drop his handlight.

"Hold on a sec…" Jack stopped the procession, crawling towards the edge of the circle of light where the light had rolled. He had just dropped to the ground, fingers straining to grab the light as a loud swooshing sound was heard. Adel looked up to see a flying predator had just missed Jack by inches. He quickly scrambled back to the light. Another predator swooped towards the group, just outside the protective arc of light. Paris fell to the ground in shock due to the creature's close proximity. Moving to his hands and knees he began to crawl away, blindly, desperate to get away. Still wrapped in the glowing blue cable, he managed to destroy the mini generator they had set up to keep the iridescent glow. He was panicked.

"This can't be happening!" He cried to himself. Suddenly he realized he was alone. Dark surrounded him. He pulled himself into a sitting position. Adel heard a wet, slicing sound amid the clicking. Though she could not see him, she knew Paris had been injured. "I was supposed to die in France," he murmured in a painful haze. He took a long, drawn out swig from the bottle of alcohol he carried. He sparked the cutting torch in front of his face and spit a mouth full of alcohol into the flame. A fiery ball erupted in the night. From it's illumination, for the briefest moment, Adel could see a circle of the vicious creatures surrounding Paris, the light reflecting their razor-like teeth. And then the night won. Darkness engulfed them once again.

Adel was now glad she couldn't see through the inky black. She shrugged out of the once-illuminated cables before they continued their journey. They began to job again, their tiny procession beacon of flame in a sea of night. They ran for what seemed like hours as she pulled on the breather. Suddenly, the sled stopped. She pulled up beside them, noting Johns' expression. She looked down. There was a large groove in the rocky soil. A sled track. Johns shrugged the sled pull off of his body, storming to meet Riddick.

"You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?" He gestured to the ground. The rest of the group joined them, not only to find out why they were traveling in circles but to stay within the protective circle of light.

"We crossed our own tracks. Why have we circled?" Fry demanded. "Are we lost?"

"Do you even know where we are?" Imam chimed.

"Listen!" Riddick growled loudly. Adel listed, unknowingly holding her breath. An intense clicking, reverberating and amplified filled her ears. "Canyon ahead. I circled once to buy some time to think."

"I think we should go now." Fry said, assessing the situation.

"I don't know about that." Riddick responded casually. "That's death row up there. Especially with the girl bleeding."

_Huh?_

_Am I hurt?_

Adel quickly looked over her body as the others looked to her. She didn't feel anything beside the pain from her palms that that was easily ignorable.

"I'm not bleeding," She told Riddick. He looked at her, his flashing eyes pinning her to the spot.

"No, you're not." His gaze lingered a second longer before swinging to Jack. "But she is." Adel's gaze moved to Jack. High cheekbones glistened with freshly shed tears.

_NO!_

Jack looked around the group of faces, panicked, put on trial…

"I thought it'd be better if people took me for a guy." Her words were shaky, forcing back the torrent of tears. "I thought they might leave me alone instead of always messing with me." Adel's heart went out to the poor girl. Seeing her in a new light, she looked frail and delicate.

_Explains all those times 'he' was trying not to cry._

Adel moved to stand with Jack as Fry joined them. She pulled the young girl to close as Adel rubbed her back.

"Are you really bleeding?" Fry asked her quietly.

"I thought they might leave me at the ship," she whimpered quietly. "That's why I didn't say something sooner."

"They've been nose-open for her ever since we left the ship." Riddick stated, joining the rest of the group. "In case you haven't noticed, they goo off blood." The severity of his statement worried Adel. How would they keep Jack safe? She was so young and so alone. Adel felt for the child.

"Look." Fry started, sounding beaten. "This isn't going to work. We're going to have to go back." Johns balked.

"You're the one who got us out here… made us into sled dogs…" He advanced towards her.

"I was wrong, I admit it. Can we just get back to the ship?"

"I don't know. Nice breeze. Wide-open space. I'm startin' to enjoy myself out here." He spread his arms wide, in a grand sweeping gesture. "You're right. What's there to be afraid of? So I say, 'mush on." The canyon's only a few hundred meters and after that, it's skiff city. So why don't you butch up, stuff a cork in this fuckin' kid and let's go." Adel glared at Johns and his callous manor.

"She is the captain. We should listen to her." Imam stated.

"Listen to her?" Johns rounded on him. "When she was so willing to sacrifice us?

"This doesn't help, Johns." Adel stated angrily. Since Fry had confided in both of them her secret, Adel felt that it wasn't his secret to spill. "It's not your place!" He turned to her.

"And what makes you think your opinion matters? Bat shit crazy, aren't you? From another time? From the past? Poor little lost girl." He wheeled back to face Fry. Adel could feel eyes burning stares at her. She looked up defiantly, waiting for an accusation. No one said anything but Riddick held her gaze.

_Great. Now you're crazy. _

_Outstanding. _

_False diagnosis and a death warrant._

"The crash." Johns began, turning the attention back to Fry. "She tried to blow the passenger cabin, kill us in our sleep." Adel could see the fury eating away at Fry's stony exterior.

"Shut your mouth," Fry exploded. Even the clicking stopped momentarily at the sudden outburst before resuming with gusto.

"We are disposable." Johns continued. "We're just walkin' ghosts to you?"

"Shut your fucking blow hole!" Fry's rage broke as she rushed him. He easily moved her aside, swinging a fist low, connecting with her stomach. Fry doubled over, falling to the ground.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Adel raged. She stormed to Johns, ready to gouge his eyes out.

"You're as psycho as he is..." Johns drawled, preparing for her advance, a balled fist at his side. Adel, furious and fed up with the entire situation, threw her fist before she could stop herself. She managed to connect with Johns' jaw before he had her on her back. Her breath came fast as he pointed the gun towards her. "Not from this time, eh? Then no one would miss you…" Adel growled, no longer afraid, ready to destroy this man who was supposedly one of the 'good guys.' Malice glinted behind his blue eyes in the torchlight, wild and feral.

"You've made your point. We can all be scared." Imam spoke, breaking the tension between Adel and Johns. She sneered, her teeth bared as he backed away. He glared at her, glancing back to Fry, who was being helped to her feet by Jack. Johns snapped a flare, illuminating the area in an eerie green hue.

"The verdict's in. The light moves forward."

Johns stormed off, joining Riddick at the front of the group and began to move. Adel brought herself to her feet, joining Fry and Jack. Imam and Suleiman began to drag the sled once more, slower this time. Keeping Jack between them, they trudged on. Fry not looking at where she was walking, facing the haunting decision she had come so close to making. Ahead, Riddick and Johns were talking. Little snippets of conversation were getting through though nothing was clear enough to make sense of.

"What do you think they're talking about up there?" Jack asked quietly. Fry still lost in thought didn't answer.

"They're talking about the canyon, most likely. How to get us through." Adel attempted to sound confident though she knew her voice betrayed her. The waver in her voice seemed to be enough to snap Fry out of her thoughts. A grim look crossed her face as she listened intently.

"Imam, slow down. Just a little bit… A little more space between us and them." She murmured loud enough for their part of the group to hear. Adel spotted Riddick glancing back at them, also noting Johns' gesture to look ahead. She heard Riddick's baritone voice. It was clear enough to hear now.

"I'm just wondering if we don't need a bigger piece of bait."

Suddenly, the two men were at odds, Riddick with his shiv; Johns and his shotgun.

"Leave the sled! Let's move!" Fry cried. Together they ran, their tiny halo of light their only protection. A safe distance back they stopped, watching the scene unfold.

Riddick made his move. A loud blast sounded as Johns fired wildly. Riddick stood, removing the light from his back, tossing it aside. Their makeshift arena was now lit by the ghostly green hue. The two men fought, a shot gun blast mingling with a frenzied clicking nearby. Riddick grabbed for the shotgun, earning a sky-bound blast. The gun flew from Johns' grip. He scrabbled after it, his fingers just missing it as Riddick's boot kicked it away. Johns grabbed for Riddick. A glint of metal indicated Riddick's shiv and a grunt of pain, indicated that it had found it's mark,

"One rule. Stay in the light." Riddick stood over Johns. "Remember that moment? Should have never taken the chains off. You were one brave fuck before." Riddick was now outside the circle of light. Now, only his voice could be heard. "You were Billy Bad-Ass. The chains. The gauge. The badge. I told you to ghost me."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Adel ran.

Her breath came fast in her lungs, a sharp, burning sensation as she pulled heavily on her breather. She ran along side Fry, followed by Jack, Imam and Suleiman. At the sound of the first shotgun blast, Adel's heart had dropped.

_Afraid. _

_Afraid for Riddick…_

She was afraid, somehow at some time, she had come to think of the man, not as a captive, a criminal but as a perceptive, intelligent person capable of seeing things that others didn't in the most dangerous of situations. As that first blast echoed in the night, she was afraid. Afraid she'd never see the intriguing man again.

_Well, and of getting shot…_

They ran together, clustered, searching vainly in tiny glances to the ground for the sled marks, some beacon in the night. Adel glanced behind her, vainly attempting to see in the darkness, searching for any sign that the fight between the two men had traveled towards them.

She slammed into something solid.

_Damnit. This is getting old._

_Fuck._

A muscled arm, shot out, preventing her from falling the dusty ground. Silver moonstone eyes looked back at her. She pulled herself from his grasp reluctantly as the others stopped around them.

"Back to the ship?" He murmured, his eyes still on her. "Huddle together until the lights burn out?"

"Get away from us." Fry interrupted, though not terribly convincingly.

"'Till you can't see what's eating you." Riddick continued slowly. "That's the big plan?"

"Where is Johns?" Fry asked quietly.

"Which half?" Riddick spoke absolutely. No one needed further explanation. Adel noticed Jack's lip trembling in the dim glow of the lights.

"We're gonna lose everybody out here." She sniffed, trying in vain, to keep her tears at bay. "We should've just stayed at the ship." It was silent for a moment before Riddick spoke.

"He died fast. And if we have any choice about it, that's the way we should all go out." He turned to walk from the group, pausing next to Jack.

"Don't you cry for Johns. Don't you dare."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Adel ran.

She was terrified as she followed the others, weaving through a gauntlet of jutting, jagged bones; forgoing the sled, Riddick now pulled the heavy power cells behind him as he followed their tiny expedition. She and Fry shouldered Jack between them, followed by Imam and Suleiman. They darted through the complex bone canyon, following the one predetermined path that Riddick had been able to pick out. An almost rabid, clicking-snarl sounded out above their heads. Instinctually, Adel glanced up, only to see two of the hammer-head like animals locked in combat, mid flight.

"Do not look up!" Called Riddick. Adel almost lost her footing as she looked anyway, unable to stop herself. With wide-eyed horror she could see the feral nature of the creatures above.

"They're… They're killing each over." She stammered. Huge, grey thrashing bodies spread above them like a ceiling of undulating flesh that filled Adel with a primitive horror. Never could she have imagined such a fierce scene. Just beyond the perimeter of light, the creatures swooped and slashed at each other, frenzied from hunger and the smell of live prey.

"Keep moving!" Riddick roared, straining as he pulled his burden over the rough terrain. Adel felt something wet splatter on her shoulder. Looking down, she noted a blue splashed drop on her arm. Glancing up once more, she saw the pulsating mass of predators surge as the weaker animals were taken out by the strong. Sticky, hot blood showered down upon them as they ran. Adel slipped, skidding on the slick surface. Fry was by her side, helping her back to her feet when a large animal dropped from the sky. Adel jumped, fear coursing through her veins before she realized that the animal was dead. She moved back into her position beside Jack, hearing the sounds of something being torn apart and bones snapping as they continued to run. More large creatures began to fall from the sky, littering their path through the bone yard.

Without warning a large predator swooped just past the periphery of the light, snapping at Jack. Fry shoved the girl down. Unfortunately, Jack slipped on the slick sand and fell. An angry shriek echoed as she rolled out of the light. The young girl came to rest under a large bone at the same time that a large creature landed on top of it. Instantly, it began slamming it's hammer head down on the bone, desperate to reach the girl below. Jack screamed.

Suddenly light was shining on the creature, a soft glowing halo from Fry's torch, making the fear upon Jack's face evident in the dim light. The creature shrieked in pain, pushing itself blindly from the bone on which it was perched, twisting straight into Riddick.

He had been standing just at the edge of the light, as if waiting for this moment. The creature flung its head back, ready to slice the large man through with its skull when Riddick's hand somehow had a shiv in it. Behind her, she heard Jack crying next to Fry quietly but Adel couldn't tear her eyes from the scene before her: man and beast, locked in a test of strength. Almost as soon as it had begun, it was over. Riddick swept his blade over the belly of the creature. As it fell, its intestines spilled onto the sand. Adel stared at him, wide-eyed as he stood.

"Didn't know who he was fucking with…." Riddick trailed off. She must not have been the only one wide-eyed. She turned, back to Jack and Fry. Imam and Suleiman standing close when suddenly, Suleiman was gone. Adel hadn't been paying close attention to him but she knew he had been standing with his back to a tall cliff wall. The next thing she knew he was being pulled up by his neck; a thick, grey tail wrapped around his throat. As she looked up, she was able to make out the dark shape of a creature scaling the wall. Imam dropped to his knees, crying up at the sky. Adel's stomach dropped as the hopelessness of their station was echoed with the loss of another of their ever-diminishing group.

Drops continued to fall upon the remaining survivors but it took a moment for Adel to realize that along with the warm drips of blue blood, they were now intermingled with a cooler liquid.

Rain.

A fear like she'd never felt lanced through Adel at the idea of full darkness as she glanced to the flickering torches. Her stomach lurched, terror lancing through her as she moved to stand with Jack and Fry, cupping their hands while trying to protect their precious remaining light. Between the splattering of blood and rain, the torches were flickering feebly.

"No." Adel whispered. "We're so close…" She could feel her throat tightening and the tears threatening to spill over her eyes. The rain began to fall harder, fully extinguishing one of the torches.

"Are we close?" Fry called over the pattering rain and echo calls. She looked to Riddick, who stood, looking ahead. He didn't respond. Adel saw the desperation in Fry's eyes. "Just tell me the settlement is right there!" Her voice was hoarse with fear. Adel hugged Jack to her side, trying to keep the last torch alight.

"We can't make it." Riddick's voice pierced the myriad of sounds in the night, driving home the fear that had been gnawing at Adel since the suns' eclipse. Jack's face had fallen, mirroring the look of defeated anguish on everyone's faces. Another echo sounded above them, louder.

_That's it. I'm going to die here._

_Alone. _

_On some planet far from home. _

_No one will ever know… _

"Hide here! Now!" Riddick's voice cut through her mental analysis as he ushered the small group through the rain. He had found a small crevice in the canyon wall. It was a small fissure, barely large enough for the four of them. Adel slid against the wall, pressing into a small corner as the others did the same. Before anyone could question him, Riddick moved an enormous boulder into the mouth of the fissure, sealing them inside.

"Why is he still outside?" Jack whispered, her voice quivering.

The four were silent for a moment, listening to the patter of the rain and the sonar echoes in the dark.

_He can't just leave us here. _

_He's just keeping us safe until he gets back. _

_Then why does this feel like a tomb?_

Time passed slowly as they tried in vain to keep the tiny torch alight.

"He's not coming back, is he?" Jack asked. As she spoke, the light went out. They were quiet again as the darkness engulfed them. The echoes from outside were closer now, louder. Adel glanced back to face their small group when she realized, that despite the light having burned out, she could see Fry's face in front of her. A pale blue glow bathed the small fissure in a calming light. Imam reached his hand up to the source of the light and brought back a tiny, blue glowing slug-like creature.

"Bioluminescence…" Adel whispered as a flame of hope ignited in her heart.

"How many bottles do we have?" Fry asked, her mind whirling.

Slowly, they began to fill the first bottle with the tiny glowing creatures. As Jack and Fry filled the bottle, Imam and Adel scraped the label from the glass, allowing enough light as possible to escape. Once finished, they began to fill the other bottle, though they only had enough to make it half way.

"Ok," Fry said as they finished. "That's the last I could find. I'm going to go and I'll bring back more light." Jack's lip began to tremble as Fry looked at her. Fry looked her in the eye. "I'll be back. I promise." Adel gripped Jack's hand, allowing the girl some comfort as Imam pushed the large rock back enough for Fry to squeeze past before moving it back into place. Once again they were alone. It was quiet for a moment, save for Jack's sniffles when they heard a scratching at the rock Fry had just moved past.

"Is it Fry?" Jack asked, hopeful. Imam and Adel didn't answer as they listened. Suddenly, the boulder shook violently as a loud, angry echo-shriek sounded from beyond.

"Shit." Adel jumped back, pulling Jack to stand with her in a corner. What seemed like hours passed as they endured the sound of the creatures clawing and head-butting the boulder at the entrance of the crevice. Without warning, the noises stopped. A loud shriek was heard and then there was silence.

The boulder began to shake again, actually shifting and moved to reveal the canyon again. Adel pushed Jack behind her, ready for whatever was coming through that entrance. Imam stood beside her, ready to protect the small girl.

Fry pushed back into the crevice, and behind her, Riddick's face hovered at the entrance. Jack pushed through the two adults, beaming at Riddick.

"Never had a doubt."

They pushed out of the fissure to stand in a circle of blue light.

"Anyone not ready for this?" Riddick asked. Moving as one, they kept themselves within the pool of the two bottles of light. They moved slower than before, careful to stay illuminated. "Stop." They stopped short as Riddick whispered. Ahead, two predators had dropped the canyon floor and were now circling each other, ready to fight. One attached, getting first blood on the other. At the scent of blood, two more predators dropped down, screeching with impatience for the loser to fall. Riddick, in the front, grabbed Adel's hand who in turn, grabbed Fry's hand. Fry would grab Jack's and she would take Imam's hand. "Don't stop." Riddick told them. He seemed to be waiting for something.

_There!  
_

Adel saw the opening within the gauntlet of creatures… a narrow path. Riddick began to run. Following blindly, trusting the man leading them, Adel followed along with the others. Adel could barely make out the silhouette of a predator, moving to face them as they flew past. The creature echoed and shrieked as they thundered past. They were now at the canyon wall, scrambling to get to the top with the bottles in hand. Adel climbed, her feet sliding as she traversed the muddy terrain before she felt herself being pulled back. She heard Jack call out, looking back in time to see her slipping back down the canyon wall. Before she hit the ground, she was scooped up by Riddick. The small girl looked up at him, stunned. Riddick pushed to the front near Adel, getting Jack to the top of the canyon.

"You know the way!" He called, pushing her to keep going. Adel watched her run, waiting a moment to grab Fry's hand as she and Imam crested the wall together. Together they ran, the horrifying sounds of the canyon fading as they neared the settlement. They rounded a building to see the skiff, fully lit. Adel ran until she found herself in the lights of the skiff. She could almost feel warmth from the light as she stood illuminated. Fry, Jack and Imam boarded the skiff as Adel followed. She turned to glance back, noticing that Riddick was not with them.

"Where's Riddick?" she spoke aloud. The others then noticed that their would-be savior was no longer with their group. Adel ran back down the ship's dock, standing within the light. Fry joined her and together they were silent, listening.

"Captain…" Imam had joined them, motioning to the controls at the front of the ship. Adel's eyes swept the darkness once again, searching for the man that had saved them as Fry turned back into the ship. It was then that they heard it. Horrible screams in the night, blending together, unable to differentiate between that of man and predator. Whatever was happening, it was close.

Without thinking, Adel grabbed the glowing bottle from Fry's hand and ran the rest of the way down the dock.

_What the hell?_

_What are you doing? _

Adel stopped, splashing in a muddy puddle at the skiff's entrance. She stopped, hearing the sounds of a fight to her right. She moved cautiously toward it.

_Risking your life for him?_

From nowhere a blade flashed near her face. She ducked as he slashed through a predator that had been circling him. Both fell at the same time. Riddick fell to his knees, as the beast fell to the ground. He was covered in blood and mud and for the first time since she had met him, Adel saw a shadow of fear splayed across his face.

_He risked his life for us_

"C'mon Riddick." Adel tried to pull him up but the large man staggered. She looped his arm over her shoulder and began to walk slowly. Without warning there was a loud crack and a flash of lighting. A loud screeching echoed through the night as countless predators were burned by the light.

They rounded the corner, in view of the skiff when another louder crack sounded through the night, a brighter flash of lighting filling the sky. The sound of the electric crack echoed in Adel's ears, pounding and pulsating. She struggled to hang on, her arm trying in vain to support Riddick, clinging to his waist as she fixed her vision on the illuminated skill. It had been only seconds before another crack resonated through the air, jarring Adel, causing her to falter as the sky lit up again. She fell bring Riddick down with her.

The sky grew brighter as another crack filled her ears. Not realizing it, she clung to Riddick on the ground, the echoing crack resonating as the sky grew to a blinding white. Just when she thought her head would explode, the noise stopped.

And then there was nothing.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Adel could feel a cool breeze lazily drifting across her face. She lay still for a moment, unsure of what had happened or where she was. Finally, she eased one eye opened.

_What the hell?_

She was in her apartment!

It looked like nothing had changed. She was curled up on her couch, wrapped in blankets. The television was on but the screen was black. The window was open allowing a cool, spring breeze to drift inside. It smelled clean and refreshing.

_What happened?_

Suddenly, everything she remembered came flooding back.

_A ship crashing on a desert planet. _

_It was another time, another place. _

_Those horrible creatures!_

She could still see the jutting, razor teeth of the flying monsters of the night, swooping down, and ready to snatch up anyone who strayed from the safety of the night.

_Little Jack. _

_And Fry. _

Dear, brave Fry. Their captain. She had been so fiercely protective, right up until the end.

_When you ran off the skiff… _

_For him. _

The murder. Their unwilling hero.

Adel sighed, remembering the intriguing man; the deep tremor of his voice and his flashing quicksilver eyes.

_I suppose it was just a dream. _

_One hell of a dream though. _

She swung her legs off the couch. Her feet connected with something solid. Looking down, she stifled a gasp. Sun shine drifted cheerily through the window and birdsong wafted in through the open window. A large body, covered in blood and mud lay sprawled across her living room floor, his black clothing ripped and filthy. She gasped.

Riddick!

AN: Well, this is the end for now.

Obviously, I've left it open for another story.

If you enjoyed reading this, please leave feedback. I love reading how to improve my work; if you loved or hated it. I try to strive for realism and realistic reactions so if you thought this was worth the read, please let me know.

Thanks again for taking this ride with me.


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